Alyice on March 25th, 2008

The Statuary Phase

When I was a young child, I loved to draw. I was actually quite good and my teachers really wanted me to pursue art more. Of course, I was only 11 years old and didn’t think all that highly of my drawings. As the years passed, I forgot all about doodling, sketching, and art. But then in 1983 my mom’s best friend, whom I affectionately called Aunt Sue, took up an interest in statuary. She was quite good, too!

On the week-ends she had me, we’d hit the nearest statuary store to find that “perfect” piece and pick up any colors of paint she didn’t already have at home. Then we’d have lunch and talk about what we were going to do to our pieces. After lunch, we’d sand the pieces down, pick out any imperfections, wipe them down with a damp cloth, paint them white, and then begin the painstaking journey of transforming a formed block of plaster into something beautiful.

We painted stuff to be hung on the walls, we painted stuff to decorate bookshelves and we painted Christmas ornaments. My aunt would even make little scenes complete with Christmas trees, presents, and snow.

We literally got lost in the moment and before we knew it the week-end was over. I’ll never forget those week-ends for as long as I live.

Those week-ends were stress-free and all about me and my relationship with my Aunt. In those painting sessions, I felt loved in a way that I didn’t always feel at home. My aunt was very loving, very encouraging, very patient, and she loved taking me under her wings and teaching me new things. She encouraged me to be true to myself and to believe in myself—even when no one else did. She showed me that mistakes happened and that they were (are) all a part of life and nothing to feel ashamed of or guilty over. She helped me deal with my need to be perfect by showing me that life was (is) full of imperfections and just like our art, those imperfections could actually turn into something beautiful.

Perhaps that’s why I’m finding art so therapeutic these days and why it feels so good to get back into that creative mojo! Not only does creating feel good for the soul but it is helping me deal with my sometimes compulsive need to be perfect and controlling. Through creating, I am reminded that my imperfections don’t make me less loveable and that just like art, there can sometimes be beauty in them.

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Comments (2)

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wyanne says:

Aunts are so wonderful! Keep creating, it is so good for your soul. Enjoyed your blog today. Love, Wyanne
Posted at 2:28 pm March 26th, 2008
Alyice says:

Wyanne,

You are so right. Thanks for stopping by!

I “l-o-v-e” your artwork by the way. Very talented! Very motivating, too.
Posted at 2:43 pm March 26th, 2008